Magazine materials question

[billpocz]

Is there a rhyme or reason for the use of wood, plastic or aluminum in mag bases?

The use of wood as a structural component, that is in such an intricate configuration (at the base), is very interesting!

Just seems that aluminum would be the material of choice to stand up to the abuse that a mag sees (while being dropped, pistol set down, etc).

Thanks for any information you can shed!


Bill

[alanint]

Although Aluminum is the third most common material on Earth, the process for obtaining useful Aluminum alloy made Aluminum an uncommon, if not rare material until the 1920's,
(the cap of the Washington Monument was made of at the time, rare Aluminum!).
Wood was easy to work and to shape into intricate parts, which could easely stand the stress of a magazine spring when new. It also was easely stamped with whatever simbols were desired.